NON EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA REFORMING OF HYDROCARBON FUELS INTO CARBON SUBOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WITHOUT CO2 RELEASE

摘要

With non-equilibrium plasma, an alternative process of extracting energy from fossil fuels (coal, biomass, hydrocarbons etc) without the emission of CO2 is possible. Apart from CO and CO2, there exist carbon oxides which can be polymerized to form chemically and thermodynamically stable substances. These carbon oxides are known as carbon suboxides (C3O2). This article describes a novel process of extracting the chemical energy from fossil fuels without the emission of CO2 while producing hydrogen and carbon suboxide (a reddish, brown polymer) which is an important constituent of organic fertilizers. This approach has the capability of avoiding the drawbacks associated with combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon suboxide (C3O2) is a foul-smelling lachrymatory non-toxic gas. It has linear symmetric structure that can be represented as O=C=C=C=O. The suboxide is stable at -78°C; at 25°C it polymerizes to form a highly colored solid material with a polycyclic six member lactone structure. Carbon suboxide is typically produced by thermal dehydration of malonic acid CH2(COOH)_2 in the presence of P4O_(10) (a drying agent)[1]. The carbon suboxide is the acid anhydride of malonic acid, and it slowly reacts with water to produce that acid. It can be stored (compared to CO) at a pressure of a few Torr, but under standard conditions C3O2 forms a yellow, red, or brown polymer (C3O2)n (ruby-red above 100°C, violet at 400°C, and it decomposes into carbon at 500°C)[2].